Hinged heel shoe



Sept. 28,* 194s.

J. R. NAPTON HINGED HEEL SHOE l Filed March 14, 1945 Patented Sept. 28, v1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HINGED HEEL SHOE John R. Napton, Marshall, Mo.

Application March 14, 1945, Serial No. 582,610

(Cl. Sii-2.5)

Claims.

This invention relates to the improvement in shoes, the object of which is to facilitate the operation of putting on and removing the shoe,

My invention consists in providing a shoe with a front and a heel section, hingedly connected at the point where the front top end of the heel is attached to the outsole of the shoe (and not elsewhere), so that the heel section can be swung into open or closed positions with respect to the front section, there being improved means for locking the` heel section against relative movement with respect to the front section, when the heel section is in the closed position.

Other objects and features of the invention will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing and will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of my shoe, partly shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a view of the insole face of the shoe constructed according to my invention.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a view in the side elevation of a low shoe, in two sections; A (the front) and B (theheel) with the device in the structure of the sh'oe, which is in the closed or wearing position. The heel in lowered position is partly outlined in dotted lines.

C, the front member of the hinge, is pivot pinned at G to E, the rear member of the hinge. D is the catch' member, whose width corresponds to the other members C and E, and with an elongated cup or socket at its front end, to engage a complementary, elongated, rounded projection at the rear of the front member of said hinge.

F is the tension adjusting member, consisting of a finely (or precision) threaded screw, passing thru a countersunk h'ole in the real` member and engages by means of said threads, the front portion of the catch member, to prevent relative movement of the front and rear sections of the shoe in wearing position. F is accessible thru a hole in the bottom of the rubber heel tread.

Front and rear members of the hinge and catch member are firmly and durably attached in their respective positions by means of sewing, riveting,

or otherwise.

2 lift and the rubber tread lift, said front leaf of said hinge having a depending portion, and a pivot pin connecting said rear leaf of the hinge to said depending portion.

2. In combination with' a shoe having an insole and an outsole and divided into a front section and a rear section, said sections being joined by means of a hinge; of a catch member located beneath the insole in the heel section of the shoe and ush with theupper face of the outsole at the heel, said catch member having an elongated cup or socket at its front edge to engage a complementary, elongated, rounded projection on front member of said hinge.

3. The combination with a shoe of claim 2, of a tension adjusting member consisting of a fine threaded screw, accessible from the tread face of the heel, which Screw passes thru a hole in thev rear element of said hinge and engages, by means of said threads, the front portion of the catch member, to adjust the tension of said catch member to prevent relative movement of the front and rear sections of the shoe in wearing position.

4. A shoe comprising vamp and heel portions hinged together for relative angular movement to occupy closed position about the foot and open position for removal from the foot, together with a catch means provided between the portions, said catch means including a spring tensioned member engageable to hold the-heel in closed position through exertion of the spring tension yet disengageable to permit it to be moved to open position despite spring tension, said spring tension member being engageable and disengageable solely through said relative angular movement of vamp and heel portions, said catch means being so disposed as to be entirely concealed when th'e shoe is closed about the foot, and adjusting means for the catch.

5. A shoe according to claim 4 in which the adjusting means for the catch is accessible from without the shoe when the shoe is closed about the foot.

JOHN R. NAPTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Langerak Dec. 16, 1913 

